Kenya

• The Constitution of 2010, the highest law
• Acts of Parliament and county laws
• English common law and equity, received through Kenyan statutes and developed by Kenyan courts
• Customary law and Islamic law, in matters such as personal status, where the Constitution allows

• The Supreme Court at the top
• The Court of Appeal, then the High Court
• Specialised courts for employment and land, plus magistrates' courts and Kadhis' courts for Muslim family law

A law degree, then the Advocates Training Programme at the Kenya School of Law, and admission as an advocate by the High Court.

• Kenya's Bill of Rights can apply to relations between private persons, not only against the government.
• Special courts exist for employment and land disputes.
• Kadhis' courts apply Islamic law to Muslims in family and inheritance matters if the parties agree.
• Kenya's counties (devolved governments) can make laws on matters assigned to them by the Constitution.

United Kingdom, Nigeria, Ghana, India, South Africa

The University of Ottawa’s JuriGlobe database lists Kenya as: Common law, Customary, Muslim. It names the systems in order of importance.

The map colours a country by the first-named system, and shows both civil-law and common-law countries as “mixed”. It is a simplification, and real systems are rarely pure.

Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Cook Islands, Dominica, Fiji, Ghana, Grenada, India, Ireland, Jamaica.

• The Judiciary of Kenya
• Kenya Law

Sources last reviewed: October 2026.